


I Won't Leave You

by Prettywitchiusaka



Category: Fullmetal Alchemist (Anime 2003), Fullmetal Alchemist - All Media Types
Genre: Character Death In Dream, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Foreplay, Happy Sex, Insecurity, Lust, Nightmares, Post-Fullmetal Alchemist: Conqueror of Shamballa, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, off-screen sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-02
Updated: 2017-11-02
Packaged: 2019-01-28 14:19:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,006
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12608524
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Prettywitchiusaka/pseuds/Prettywitchiusaka
Summary: Post-Shamballa. A sequel to "I'll Be Right Here". It is the third anniversary of Furhur Bradley's assassination, and while Roy is getting better day by day, Riza is still afraid that she will loose him. So what will happen when she talks to him about that night so long ago?





	I Won't Leave You

Riza Hawkeye quickly flipped to the next page of the book she was reading, completely engrossed in the story and its world. She never really cared much for Science Fiction, preferring to read stories about Victorian romances or paranormal creatures. But when her friend, Kain Feury came into the office insisting she read this book, she knew she couldn't say no. Kain was like a little brother to her, after all.

So Riza took it home with her, never believing for even a second she would actually enjoy this book. But she couldn't put it down.

Only three days and already she was making her way through the climax of the little paperback. She couldn't help it though; it was just so intriguing.

And besides, tomorrow was holiday. She didn't have to be up at the crack of dawn like usual, so it gave her the perfect opportunity to kick back after a hard day's work and finish her friend's book.

And why not? She only had ten pages to go.

But what holiday was it? Well, it was a relatively new one to Central and Amstris at large; National Parliament's Day. It had been created two years earlier, and was named in honour of the country's return to democracy in the wake of Furhur Bradley's death.

And boy, was Riza thankful for it.

While she loved her job as First Lieutenant and right hand woman to the ambitious Flame Alchemist, Colonel Roy Mustang, it was certainly no cake walk. Not only did she have to contend with signing paperwork and running day-to-day operations in Central, but it often fell on her to protect and save her boss with her gun prowess during their frequent away missions.

As far as the Lieutenant was concerned, she could use a day off.

So once the work day was over, she retired to her apartment for the night, changing into matching tank top and pyjama bottoms and letting her long blonde hair flow down her back instead of keeping it clipped up.

Her plan was to finish her book and retire for the evening. That way she could be well rested for the day out she had planned with her beloved boyfriend and her loyal pet.

Her pet, a little Shiba Inu named Black Hayate, was in the corner of her bedroom, sitting on a little bed she bought for him, recently. But there was also someone else sitting with Riza on her bed; her boyfriend and Commanding Officer, Colonel Roy Mustang.

Yes, in addition to being Roy's trusted aid, she was also dating him, and had been doing so since he'd returned from being stationed up in the military's Northern outpost.

He too, was reading a book. But unlike Riza, he was currently engrossed in what had to be the third alchemy textbook she'd seen him reading this week.

Not that it surprised her; despite being a nationally ranked alchemist, Roy had not practiced alchemy the whole time he'd been away, didn't even touch one textbook on the subject. Now that he was back, it only made sense to her that he'd be zipping through as many alchemy books as he could get his hands on. "Gotta keep reading if I wanna be caught up on the latest theories," she would often hear him say.

The Lieutenant didn't mind. Roy had been interested in alchemy for as long as she'd known him, so the fact that he was invested in his passion again was a blessing she was thankful for.

Well that and one other thing; he was wearing nothing but a pair of black sweatpants as he sat on the comforter of her bed. Yes, even after all this time Riza never tired of seeing his built torso and firm arms.

And next thing she knew Roy had turned to face her, wearing that flirtatious grin of his she loved so much. It made her flash a genuine smile his way. "Something wrong?"

Knowing him, he was probably going to tease her about the few times she'd pry her eyes away from the book to stare at his chest. Though she couldn't blame him for taking pride in that.

"No," he replied. "I'm just happy to see you've finally upgraded your reading preferences."

As he said that, she couldn't help but notice a wide smirk forming on his face. And the more she watched his smirk widen, the more she could feel her blood boiling and her eyebrows furrowing.

"I read other things, you know!"

He snorted. "Once a month, maybe."

Riza growled as her hands tightened around the little paperback. Now she was beginning to understand how Edward Elric used to feel whenever Roy would crack jokes about his height.

"For your information, Kain insisted I read this book."

"Did he now?"

"Yes, and I'm glad he did," she replied. "It's such a good story."

"What's it even about?"

"It's about a man who uses a love potion on a girl he's pursuing, and he has to live with the consequences."

Roy raised an eyebrow. "Seriously!? That's pathetic!" he said. "You'd think a guy can take a hint if a women's just not into him."

The Lieutenant chuckled. "That's funny. I seem to recall you never took the hint whenever you'd hit on me."

Hearing that made him smirk. "Yeah, but I always got the feeling you were into it."

With a smile on her face, the young woman started rubbing his arm with her hand. "You guessed right, handsome."

"I know," he said as his smirk widened.

The Lieutenant smiled.

Since becoming a couple almost ten months ago, Roy's health had been improving day by day, little by little. Part of that was due to his new line of work solving cold cases involving alchemists and murderers, but most of it was that he had her to keep him grounded and sane.

Things weren't perfect, though; there were still fraternization laws in place, but Roy and Riza didn't care. They were good at keeping secrets, so it was proving to be more of a minor nuisance than anything else.

But there were still other problems the couple was facing; Roy was still having nightmares of his time in Ishbal.

These days, he opted to tell her about his "trips" down memory lane and cry it out before falling asleep in her arms. But there had been brief scare a few months ago where she caught him drinking himself silly instead of waking her up.

After arguing it out for a bit, she begged him not to drown his sorrows anymore. And he did; a few days later, Roy told her that he was thinking about seeing a therapist.

Not only did Riza support his decision, Roy's therapist insisted she come with him after his first few sessions, thinking it would be beneficial for her to know what she can do to help him.

For what it was worth, Riza found her advice to be very helpful. She was able to help the man she loved, and it allowed them to continue their relationship without much difficulty.

Riza didn't take long to finish the story. A few minutes later and she closed the little paperback, satisfied with its conclusion; it was definitely something she'd be thinking about for awhile.

She placed the book on the nightstand and got up from the bed to stretch. Despite her plan, there was one last thing she wanted to do before drifting off to sleep.

"I'm going to take a shower."

"Okay," Roy said, never tearing his gaze away from the book.

Unbeknownst to him, Riza was flashing a smirk his way, her eyes shinning with a lustful look to them. Yes, she had something **very** special planned for him tonight.

Walking over towards her writing desk, she picked up a small pink bag and made her way towards the bathroom.

"What's in the bag?"

Turning around, she saw her boyfriend staring at her with a curious look on his face. Rather than just tell him, she let a smirk cross her face as she walked over to him.

Once she was close enough, the Lieutenant cupped his cheek and batted her eyelashes at him.

"Let's just say that when I come out wearing this, it'll knock your socks off…" Roy was naturally surprised by this, but upon seeing the lustful look in her eyes, he couldn't help but smile.

"Well, my socks are already off," he answered. "If you really wanna impress me now, you should just come out naked."

"Oh no you don't," she said. Hitching her leg up, Riza straddled the Colonel and pressed her body against his, arousing the usually stoic man. "If you want your dessert, you'll just have to be patient."

Roy smirked. "You're turning into quite the tease, aren't you?"

"I have to be if I want to keep up with you."

Without any prompting she gave him a passionate kiss on the lips, making him moan as he closed his eyes and kissed back. A minute later they came up for some air, smiling at each other. Riza couldn't have been happier right now as she slid her fingers across his chest; she always loved flirting with and teasing him, leaving him wanting more. It was just too much fun.

That is until her hand traced the scar above his heart, the point where the Furhur nearly snuffed his life out. She could practically feel tears forming in her eyes at the memory of Roy lying in a pool of his own blood, barely clinging to life.

"Something wrong?"

Riza looked up to see Roy. He was staring at her, concern clearly shining in his remaining obsidian eye.

" _Damnit!_ " she cursed. She had wanted to keep to herself, but seeing how concerned he was about her, the Lieutenant knew she couldn't deny him an answer.

Not that that was anything new; she always had a hard time saying no to him.

"I was just thinking about your scar," she said while running her fingers over the dented, discoloured flesh. "How much it must have hurt…"

Seeing the pained look in her eyes, Roy couldn't help but feel his heart breaking in two. Even his face turned somber.

He already had a pretty good idea of what was bothering her. "You still think about that night, don't you?"

Riza shied her eyes away, as if she were afraid to answer.

She should've been proud. After all, that scar, hell tomorrow's holiday only existed because she'd assisted Roy in assassinating Furhur Bradley almost three years ago.

But she wasn't.

"Yes," she said.

That answer was all he needed to confirm his suspicions. Well that and the sad look in her eyes. Though really, it's not like he could blame her. As much as Roy hated admitting it, that night still haunted him, too.

It had been the first time in years either of them had seen actual combat. But for Roy, that night had been more significant.

Not only had he nearly come face to face with death, he'd also been forced to see what he would've become had he allowed his pride to consume him the way Bradley let his do.

But it was something the Colonel decided he had to do.

The moment he confirmed for himself that the Furhur was not only a Homunculous, but that he had been manipulating the country in an effort to create the Philosopher's Stone, Roy knew he couldn't let him get away with it.

And yet, nothing could have prepared the Flame Alchemist for the battle that awaited him. He knew that Bradley would be a difficult opponent to defeat, that sword he used to carry around wasn't just for show. But that all-seeing eye of his prevented Roy from using his alchemy, allowing for the Furhur to not only injure, but almost kill him. In fact, he probably wouldn't be sitting here, talking to his Lieutenant if it hadn't been for the intervention of the Furhur's son, Selim.

That's probably the thing that bothered Roy the most; that he was only alive at the expense of someone else. And it was the life of a child who couldn't have been more than eight, or ten years old.

Well that and one other thing; the terrified, heart broken wails of the woman sitting in front of him, his partner in crime.

And right now, she was looking like she'd seen a ghost of the past.

"I don't think about it often, it's just that this time of year brings back memories-"

"It's okay, Riza," he said. "I still think about it, too."

Hearing that, Riza couldn't help but smile as she gazed into his eye. "I know." The Lieutenant then placed her head down on his chest and closed her eyes, relaxing as he gently stroked her arm.

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be," she said. "Remember what your therapist said; If you keep feeding your guilt, you'll keep repeating your mistakes and never move forward."

"She told you that, remember?"

"Still applies," the Lieutenant said. "And besides, it was my decision to come with you. If anyone should feel bad, it's me."

It sounded reasonable enough to her. It had been her decision and no one else's to come with him to the Furhur's mansion that night.

When Roy initially told her of his plan, she was shocked. Roy Mustang was giving up on his goal? It just didn't seem real. But the more she listened to him, the more she realized that he wasn't just angry at Bradley and the system, he was also angry at himself for not seeing this sooner. That for all his talk, he was no better than the higher ups he mocked in private.

But as far as she was concerned, Roy Mustang **was** better than that. He wanted to do something about this revelation. No, he was **going** to do something about it. She could tell from the determined, angry look in his eyes.

It was that same look she saw the day he told her he wanted to be Furhur, the same look that made her realize she had fallen in love with him.

She wanted to help him however she could, knowing full well he would need it if he wanted to pull this plan off. Roy tried convincing her to stay behind, but the Lieutenant insisted, saying that she was coming whether he liked it or not.

Whatever horrors she was to witness at that mansion, they would be seen because of her choices as an individual. She knew it, and Roy knew it, too. It was the whole reason he didn't want her coming with him in the first place.

"I get that," he said. "But it might've been better if you'd stayed behind."

Now Riza was peeved. Shooting him a glare, she shoved his arm and said "Don't be stupid, you idiot!"

Not surprisingly, Roy gave her a look of "what the hell?". But how could he even say that to her, she wondered?

"You wanted to atone for your mistakes and save the country, you really think I could say no to that?"

Of course, it didn't take long for a smile to graze her boyfriend's handsome face. "I know," he said. "And I'm grateful to you for that…"

"I know you are," she said with a smile.

The Lieutenant placed her head down on his chest again and breathed a deep sigh, falling into a peaceful lull as Roy continued stroking her arm.

"I only wish you could've come out of it unscathed…That's all…"

Roy frowned. " _Does she still blame herself for what happened with Archer_ ," he thought. If so, than that pissed him off something fierce.

How many times had he told her how silly she was being? That while she couldn't prevent him from losing an eye, he was still alive because of her.

"You know that couldn't be helped."

Riza could feel her hands tightening into fists as he said that. "I do," she said. "It's just that night changed everything for me…It showed me just how easily I could lose you, and I did for awhile."

She could hear a small gasp escape her boyfriend's lips, but as far as the Lieutenant was concerned, he shouldn't have been so surprised

Riza may have been able to tuck those memories away into the darkest recesses of her mind, but the emotional and mental scars they'd caused her weren't buried terribly deep.

Every year since that night, she would think back to that traumatic period after she found

Roy on the steps of the Furhur's house bleeding to death. Honestly, until Riza saw him wincing in pain, she thought he was gone for good.

She remembered rushing him to the nearest hospital, dragging his body into the front lobby and begging whoever was at the desk to save him before it was too late.

Her memories after that were still a bit fuzzy. She could remember sitting in the lobby, staring at her hands still drenched in his blood. One of the nurses had been kind enough to give her some pills meant to calm her down. They ended up working a bit too well, leaving Riza extremely woozy and out of it. She ended up taking those pills for the next three days until learning that Roy's condition had stabilized.

Not that it mattered.

Sure Roy assured her he didn't blame her for what happened, a memory she held dear to her heart. But in the end, it didn't change anything. Despite Riza's best efforts, she couldn't save her beloved Colonel from falling into despair, again.

Not because of her, she knew that. But it broke her heart to know that she had been helpless to keep him from leaving for two years.

"Are you still afraid of losing me?"

Riza didn't have to think twice about her response. "Yes," she said. Silence came over the room."It's not that I don't trust you. It's just a fear I have…"

Roy's face turned somber when he heard that. Although really, he wasn't sure why her answer came as such a shock to him?

He knew his departure had been hard on her, and not jut because she'd told him about it, either. He still remembered her standing there on the train platform, trying to hold back her tears and her disappointment like the proud woman she was, wanting only to see him off.

So why did he not notice it sooner? Was it because she always put him before herself? No, that wasn't it. She was much more open about telling him her feelings now that they were an item.

So what was it then? Did he just not want to see what was bothering her? Did she not want to worry him? Why was she being so stubborn?

Why was the Lieutenant hiding behind a mask of security and acting like everything was okay?

Oh…

The Colonel let out a small sigh. In retrospect, he should have seen this coming.

After all, Riza had seen combat long before he ever did. Even right before he'd been sent off to Ishbal, she had warned him that he was too soft for war, and she was right.

In many respects, it made them very similar.

She had committed as many atrocities as he did, arguably more so considering her talents as a sniper. But the difference between them had always been that Riza chose to move on with her life, not wanting to believe that she made the wrong decision by joining the military. Whereas Roy could never forget, or rather refused to forget the number of people that died at his hand, and would probably spend the rest of his life atoning for his sins.

Or so he thought. In the end, she was only hiding her trauma behind a mask of security, continuing to move forward.

Because, much like him, it was the only way she knew how to cope with her life choices.

But there were visible cracks in the mask now that it involved him, the love of her life being taken away from her.

And knowing that about her now, Roy smiled sadly at his girlfriend. " _Guess we're not so different, after all_ ," he thought.

He sat there quietly for awhile, still stroking her arm. Wondering to himself " _So how am I going to fix this?_ "

Roy knew that he was still far from recovery, still believing himself to be unworthy of love. His therapist knew it too, so she encouraged him to engage in some self-compassion. " _Learn to love yourself, Mr. Mustang_ ," she told him. " _That way, you can start to show love to the people around you._ "

Well Roy wasn't sure if he could ever learn to love himself, he had seen and done too much to think he could ever truly let go of all his guilt. But he did know one thing; he was in love with Riza Hawkeye.

Aside from the fact that she was always there for him, she was just a wonderful, caring woman who wanted him to be happy. And because of all her hard work, he was.

She was the one who would keep him calm whenever he would think about Ishbal, she had supported his decision to start seeing a therapist, and it was because of her continually encouraging him that he finally had the guts to visit the Rockbell's graves.

After all that she'd done for him, there's no way he could imagine his life without this amazing woman. But there was still a latent fear inside her that he would either leave or believe himself unworthy of her, even if Roy knew that was impossible now.

But thinking about it wouldn't make the fear go away. He needed to convince her she had nothing to worry about, less she continue to let it fester and (eventually) consume her mind. And Roy would be damned if he let that happen.

So with a smile on his face, the Colonel pressed his forehead against hers and held her close.

"Don't you remember what I said when I came back?" he asked. "I said that it didn't matter who the enemy was, because I would keep moving forward."

Riza smiled at the memory. How could she forget? It had been their first meeting in two years, after all. She and the rest of their men were doing their best to defend Central from the foreign enemies outnumbering them, wondering who they were and where they came from. It looked like all was lost as the enemy slowly surrounded them, they were even climbing down from the main building of the military's headquarters.

But then out of nowhere, he showed up.

She remembered watching Roy as he walked proudly towards them, snapping his fingers and incinerating their enemies with ease, giving them orders like he never left. It was a sight she never thought she'd see, again.

After saluting to him, she watched as Roy torched a huge pile of debris falling from the sky, giving Riza time to run over to the Flame Alchemist and cover his back. That was when he told her he'd keep moving forward, bringing a smile to her face.

She was already more than overjoyed to see him again, but hearing that he made such a decision gave her one more thing to be happy about amidst the carnage and chaos they were currently facing.

"Yes, I remember."

"So then that should tell you how I feel."

Riza was silent for a moment.

"I know, it's just-"

Next thing she knew, she was being wrapped into his warm embrace. Before the Lieutenant could even say anything, she was beaten to it by her Colonel.

"I love you, Riza. And I'm grateful for everything you've ever done for me." Riza gasped. She looked up to see him smiling at her sincerely. "I won't leave you, again."

For whatever reason, Riza couldn't help but smile. It was so sweet of him to assure her that his stay was permanent, this time.

And yet, she couldn't help but ask him "Are you sure?"

"I'm positive," he replied. "And if I'm ever stupid enough to try it, you can shoot me." Riza's eyes widened in surprise, making him smirk. He always enjoyed catching her off guard, especially because it happened so rarely.

"What do you say?"

Riza couldn't help but laugh. "I think I just might hold you to that."

Roy smiled; it felt good knowing he'd been able to make her smile, again. "That's my Lieutenant…"

The two shared a brief kiss before staring into each other's eyes. Of course, it didn't take long for a smirk to form on the Colonel's lips. "Now, didn't you say that you had something special planned for me?"

He went to go look in the bag, but Riza snatched it away from him before he could do that.

"Oh no you don't." She cupped his chin in her hand and looked into his eye. "Just give me thirty minutes and we'll get started."

"Whatever you say, good looking."

She gave him a quick peck on the lips before disappearing into the bathroom.

Of course, it didn't take a genius to figure out what happened next. After showering and drying her hair, Riza came out wearing something that not only made Roy's mouth drop wide open, but the book he was reading fall into his lap as well.

It was a low-cut, fuschia coloured silk nightgown that reached all the way down to her ankles. But the best part? It was double slitted, allowing her to show off her freshly shaven legs. In short, it was the perfect thing for seducing a leg loving man like Roy. And his reaction brought a smile to Riza's lips.

For months, she'd been trying to find the perfect thing to make Roy jump into bed with her, as opposed to the other way around. And if the transfixed, nearly drooling expression on his face was any indication, it looks like she succeeded in that endeavour.

After making love, the couple laid under the bed sheets and stared into each other's eyes. They exchanged "I love you's" and a string of loving kisses before falling asleep in each other's arms. Well Roy did, anyway. Riza just kept staring sadly at his sleeping face.

Everytime she gazed upon his sleeping form, she couldn't help but think about how much she loved this man, because there was nothing she wouldn't do for him. She would die for him, he would kill for him if she had to, and had done so before.

She wanted to believe him when he said he wouldn't leave her, and in some respects she did. Despite his arrogant and dickish behaviour, Roy Mustang was far more loving and sincere than he would ever care to show.

But no matter how hard Riza tried, she could still feel a pang of doubt fluttering around in the pit of her stomach.

" _It's just anxiety_ ," she thought.

At least that's what the Lieutenant hoped it was as she snuggled into the crook of his neck and allowed sleep to claim her. Though not before leaving one last kiss on his cheek.

…..

_Riza ran as fast as she could through the dead of night, wanting only to get to Roy before Frank Archer did._

_How was he even alive after what she saw of him in Liore, she wondered? Though she supposed it didn't really matter. All the Lieutenant cared about right now was getting to her General before that psycho did. If he so much as put one hand on him, she'd-_

_"Ah, Lieutenant Hawkeye."_

_The Lieutenant let out a gasp at that familiar voice. "No…it can't be…"_

_Slowly, she stopped dead in her footsteps when she saw a tall burly man walking towards her. A man she recognized immediately, because it was Furhur Bradley._

_Not only was he smiling, he didn't even have a scratch on him. This confused Riza. Did that mean Roy had failed? If so, than where was he?_

_"Is something wrong?"_

_Snapping out of her thoughts Riza looked up to see Bradley smiling at her, almost as if he hadn't been fazed by their assault on his life._

_The Lieutenant raised her gun and pointed it at the Furhur, making him chuckle. Not that she cared, if he even tried anything at least she'd be ready to fire. But that all changed when something else caught her eye._

_In his left hand, Bradley was carrying what appeared to be the corpse of a dead body, a dead body with_ _**very** _ _familiar looking black hair._

_Suddenly, Riza could feel her hand starting to shake. "No," she thought. "It can't be…"_

_"Tell me something…"_

_She snapped her head back up to face Bradley, again. This time, he was smiling cruelly at her, like he was taking great joy in watching her squirm."Did you really think he could beat me? That that reckless,_ _**foolish** _ _man you follow ever had a chance of defeating an immortal being?"_

_Riza didn't answer him, making his cruel smile widen into a sneer._

_"Well…_ _**Here's** _ _you precious Mustang!"_

_He threw the body at her feet, making her eyes widen at its identity. It was her General, Roy Mustang. He was bleeding from several places on his body, his heart had been sliced open,_

_and his eyes were opaque._

_"No…," she thought._

_Collapsing to her knees, Riza grabbed hold of his shoulders and started shaking him. She didn't want to believe it. She couldn't believe it._

_"General?…General!?…"_

_She got no answer._

_"Come on Mustang, say something!" she begged._

_Still no response. Not that Riza really cared, she wouldn't give up so easy. So the Lieutenant continued shaking him._

_"Mustang!?…Mustang!?…"_

_Now Riza was worried. Why wasn't he answering her back? Didn't he know how concerned she was about him? "Roy!?…Roy!?…"_

_Reaching the point of desperation, Riza grabbed hold of his bloodied shirt and shook him violently. At this point she didn't care how ridiculous she looked, she just wanted to know he was okay._

_"Damnit, Roy! Fucking say something!"_

_Finally his head rolled over, and she was face to face with those obsidian eyes she always loved looking into. The eyes that could be flirtatious and scheming one minute, then warm_

_and gentle the next. Now they were just dead and lifeless._

_It was in that moment that Riza felt her eyes tearing up as reality smacked her in the face. Roy Mustang, the man she loved with all her heart and soul, the man she'd sworn to protect was dead…and there was nothing she could do about it…_

_The only thing she could do was cry into his chest and cradle his head in her hands, wailing like a lost child as her heart broke into a million pieces._

_"Oh, I see. You're in love with him, aren't you?"_

_Surprised, Riza turned to face Bradley. Still staring down at her with that insincere sneer of his, like he was taunting her._

_"Would you like to join him?" he asked. "I'm sure he's getting lonely waiting for you in hell!"_

_He held up his blade and brought it down, ready to kill her. All Riza could do was stand there frozen, unable to do anything but bury her head in her beloved's neck and wait for the end._

Riza jolted up in bed, practically screaming her head off. It hadn't taken long for her to realize she was in her bedroom, being a soldier she was used to having nightmares. But that didn't mean she could control her feelings about it.

Placing a hand to her forehead, she just sat there and breathed heavily, feeling her heart as it thumped against her chest.

"Hey. What's wrong?"

Surprised there was someone else in bed with her, she turned around and felt her eyes widen when she saw who the voice belonged to; it was Roy. There was a noticeable scar above

his heart and a patch where his left eye should be, but other than that he was fine.

But what really caught her attention was the expression on his face; it was vulnerable looking, and filled with concern for her and only her. It made the Lieutenant feel like crying.

"Riza?…"

She didn't answer him, worrying Roy.

He'd seen Riza distraught before after having a bad dream, but nothing like this. She was shaking uncontrollably, her breathing was heavy, and she appeared to be on the verge of tears.

It made his heart ache as he continued watching her.

In a way, it was starting to remind him of his behaviour whenever he awoke from another dream turned nightmare. Only now it was happening to the woman he loved.

" _What can I do?_ " he wondered.

He knew he needed to calm her down, but how? What did Riza do whenever he woke up traumatized? Well, she would always stroke his back in an effort to keep him calm. Maybe that would work.

So he placed his hand on her back, gently rubbing the skin between her shoulder blades.

"Riza, what's wrong?"

"You're…," she said, surprising him. "You're here…"

She could see Roy giving her a look of dumbfoundment, but she didn't care about that right now. He was right here, showing her his concern by trying to calm her down.

"Well of course, I'm here," he said. "I haven't gone anywhere-"

Without even giving him a chance to finish speaking, Riza wrapped her arms around his back and buried her face in his chest.

Roy was admittedly taken aback by her sudden behaviour, but he knew that now wasn't the time to ask about such things. She was crying against his chest, still shaking like a leaf. She needed him to comfort her, and that's just what he was going to do.

Next thing Riza knew, she was being wrapped into the warm embrace of her beloved Colonel, feeling his strong arms encircle her small frame and hold onto her tightly, like he never wanted to let her go. She could feel him stroking her hair with his hand and his breath on her earlobe as he whispered "Shhh…It's okay…I'm right here…"

For a moment, the Lieutenant couldn't believe this was really happening. But it was. He was holding her in his arms and telling her it was going to be okay. It made her want to cry.

And she did as she continued wailing into his chest like a child, taking in the scent of ash and cologne permeating from his body.

"The Furhur killed you," she said. "He killed you!…And he dumped your body at my feet and was mocking me."

Roy gasped, but it didn't take long for a somber look to form on his face. It really was starting to sound like one of his nightmares, where the line would blur between fantasy and reality, bringing up old fears or "what-if" scenarios that could have happened.

Without any prompting, he closed his eye and held her closer than he ever had before.

"It's okay, it was only a nightmare…" The Colonel went on gently stroking her hair as he said "I'm not going anywhere…"

"I know…," she said with a smile. "I know that now…"

So Riza continued crying into his chest while Roy kept cradling her in his arms. Knowing that eventually, she would fall asleep in his arms and awake to his handsome face in a few hours time.

Of course, the moment wasn't perfect. She could still feel a slight bit of anxiety welling up inside her, but she knew it would go away soon, because he was here comforting her.

He hadn't left her, and he wasn't going to. Just like she would never leave him.

The End

**Author's Note:**

> Oh, and for anyone wondering yes, the book Riza's reading is a direct reference to The Twilight Zone episode "The Chaser".


End file.
